Has Learning and Education Changed?
How has education changed from say 25-30 years till now? Has anyone noticed how learning happens and how it used to happen during 1990s? Do you see any change in learning and education or do you find it all the same? Well, let’s find out.
With students now getting access to internet and CDs and what not for their education in addition to their text books, education has reached a different level.
Recently, I saw a portal where school student as young as VI to X class students chatting in an online educational portal. Now I don’t really see the need to chat even for educational purpose for a tenth class student. Well, it definitely indicates that social media has left no stones unturned and have touched our lives in varied ways.
There are both bright side and flip side to internet and its role is inevitable. We cannot deny the fact that now sharing information and getting answers is just a click away. We don’t need to depend solely on various professionals for a professional advice; we have numerous answers available on the internet. Information is now readily available. At the same time it has crippled us to the point that we now believe and take the help of the famous search engine instead of asking our near and dear one for answers. And to some extent it is okay because when we ask people we get more confused.
But do you think the internet has changed the face of learning and education too? Here education refers to school education. Sadly, no, even after the introduction of online learning, e-Learning, the plight of education is more or less the same. Though we now have interactive e-Learning knowledge nuggets to explain difficult concepts to children, certain things have still not undergone any change. For example, parents are not aware that classes in schools have now become smart classes, meaning e-Learning content is used to teach students as young as preschoolers. For any kind of project it is indeed parents who take up the task of creating project work, how are kids benefiting out of such activity? Wouldn’t it be better if we have something in place, where children do such project work on their own even if it looks ridiculous? Do you agree? At least in this way children will tax their brains, will remain engaged instead of watching television, or playing in the play area for more than two hours a day.
Secondly, are children learning through e-Learning content or it is becoming an additional burden from them. Also, if we have smart classes in place, why can’t we do away with books completely? Is it because the parents, some parents are still not competent enough to use technology to their advantage? Although, some schools claim of no bag and books policy and have only worksheets that are sent to the homes of school kids so that their parents are updated and tuned in to their children are performances, but how far is the bookless and no baggage policy working? Is this only a gimmick played by school authorities to show that they have gone a step ahead by saying no to books at home, but parents are given an option to buy books if they wish to! Who would not want to buy books, school curriculum books for their children, I guess we all know the answer. Now-a-days we have smart tabs, which come preloaded with educational content and applications that support online learning, anytime anywhere. But are these really going to be beneficial to our children or in the pretext of using or accessing education content student will fall in the web of social media and spoil their future. The answer lies in the fact that every new change to seep into our system needs time. With time parents, teacher, students, educationist, instructional designers and others related to the field of education will come to terms with e-Learning and the changing face of education and learning.
Just like we no longer use black slate and a chalk instead we use magnetic boards with magnetic pencil to teach the basics of alphabets, we have lots of educational toys, songs that can be downloaded for tiny tots. We have moved from black boards to white boards and from white boards and books to less books or from marks to grades, we will similarly move to a new era of learning where learning will become easy, fun, less hectic and exemplary. Well, only time will predict what will be the plight of education and learning with more educationist now claiming to understand the importance of different learning styles and acknowledging the fact that every child learns differently and capable of learning and doing different things.
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